EMESS

LOCATION: Field Cottage, Moorby. PRESENT : Jill Cousins, Alison Cousins, Ben Gadsby, Julian Millhouse, Tony Bonham, Nicholas Sherratt, Kelly Scott, Mike Summer, Richard Sivill. Stella Sivill, Derek Lane, Neil Cook, Eleanor Harris, Trevor Oliver, Marcin Kolakowski, Catherine Wilson, Graham Beaumont, Bernard Martin, Ann Marecombe, Robin Brittain, Erica Mallory-Blythe, Andrew Mallory-Blythe and David Glew. APOLOGIES: John Hurd, Arthur Fox, Jane Pow, Chris Healy and Robert Walker. ABSENT FRIEND: This was the first EMESS meeting since the sudden death of the chairman Rodney Cousins. The location was at the cottage where Rodney had been arranging a meeting which had to be cancelled because of his sudden illness. This was an opportunity for members to reflect on Rodney's contribution to the current knowledge of earthen buildings. David started by remembering that Rodney had provided the location for the first EMESS meeting, at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life, 21 years previous, wh...

In 1994, while he was at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life, Rodney held the first meeting for the founding of the East Midlands Earth Structure Society. This is a group of conservationists, architects, builders and house holders who are interested in buildings made from earth. These structures include Lincolnshire's mud-and-stud cottages. It is appropriate that the short name for a society which enjoys working with wet, sticky mud, is EMESS - in other words ...ee-mess! Rodney wrote a unique and informative book about mud-and-stud buildings in Lincolnshire. This followed his project to move an unwanted mud-and-stud cottage from the village of Withern to the Church Farm Museum in Skegness. With EMESS members, he attended the international conference on earthen buildings called Tera 2000 in Torquay, and sold lots of copies of his book there! Over the years since, in EMESS and as its chairman, Rodney gave talks himself and organised talks by others. He organised walkabouts around vil...

          EMESS will be holding it's Open Evening                           On:                  Tuesday 10th November 2015                                                 From                          6:30pm                           At:                Field Cottage, Moorby. Situated a few miles South of Horncastle on the B1183 Horncastle to Revesby Road. By kind permissions of the owners -       Andrew and Erica Mallory-Blythe Off road parking is available next to Field Cottage. Refreshments - Normal charge of £2 per head. Special o...

EMESS made a contribution to this year's national Heritage Open Days.  The on-going repairs to the mud and stud barn at Tumby Moorside, near Coningsby, Lincs, were open to the public on Thursday and Friday 10th, 11th September.  About 18 people made visits on the Thursday, and about 25 on the Friday.  They were all people with an interest in the heritage of this country, which is the purpose behind the annual Heritage Open Days - namely to have buildings of historic interest open to the public.  The grand ones are open at no charge, and the modest ones (like Tumby) are open when otherwise they would be inaccessible. The weather was warm and sunny on both days.  There were displays of photos, plans, artefacts and various records, under cover.  Then the building itself, and the various repairs which have been carried out to it over the last 20 years could be seen and discussed.  There were many complimentary observations, which w...

EMESS are taking part in Heritage Lincolnshire Open days on: Thursday 10th and Friday 11th September 2015 Between: 10am to 4pm At: The Barn(High House Barn), Tumby Moorside, Coningsby, Lincolnshire, PE22 7ST -------------------THIS EVENT IS FREE!!---------------------- Experience Mud and Stud - almost unique to Lincolnshire. See renovation work to this Rare 18th century Mud and Stud Barn by EMESS. Plus exhibition of photographs and information on Mud and Studs in Lincolnshire. Rodney Cousins and David Glew will be leading these days. All members and non-members are welcome! In other news, The Cabin finally has a new owner, and the property is no longer on the market.

 'THE CABIN' is a 17th Century Grade II listed mud and stud cottage in Thimbleby, Lincolnshire. It is looking for a caring owner, who understands the needs of mud and stud cottages. It is a double bedroomed home, inclusive of a vaulted reception room with a mezzanine, kitchen, bathroom and off road parking with attractive gardens laid to lawn. Could this home be for you?  Guide Price is £159,950 but is negotiable. You can find this property on rightmove and 'on the market' with JH Walter, Lincoln below! http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-48668173.html https://www.onthemarket.com/details/1238111/

The next EMESS Meeting will take place in June (date to be agreed), where a walkabout in the village of Moorby was proposed by Rodney Cousins. Following that, during the National Heritage Open Days, the Barn at Tumby will be on display on Thursday 10th and Friday 11th september 2015, when Rodney Cousins and David Glew will be in attendance. Other members are welcome.

EMESS held its  most recent meeting on Saturday the 4th April 2015 at the barn at Tumby Moorside, Lincolnshire. This is a Grade II listed building which the society is gradually repairing, by carrying out the work on a like for like basis. Those who attended were: Rodney Cousins, Trevor Oliver, Eleanor Harris, Tony Bonham and David Glew. The work carried out this time including mixing and applying mud repairs to the original mud and stud walling, to maintain it's structural integrity. In addition the base of a length of the south wall was stabilised by laying salvaged bricks in mud mortar, to continue repairs which were started a few years ago. The French drain along the south wall was also repaired, by excavating and sieving gravel, and putting it back inside the line of bricks, to reduce the volume of rising damp within the walls. Finally, limewash was applied to previous mud repairs on the north and south walls, to help protect the walls in the future. During a short busin...